Heir to Darkness: Rewrite
by J1210
Summary: Amestris is gone, consumed by the Heartless. The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse are thrust into an journey to restore their world. They join forces with the Keybearers, Sora and Kairi. Together they will face off against unified the wrath of Xemnas and the Homunculi. The key to saving the worlds is the Heir to Darkness. COMPLETE REVISION: Post KH2 AU
1. Part I: Kingdom Anew

**~o~ **

**Heir to Darkness: Rewrite**

**Part 1: Kingdom Anew**

A strong cool gust swept through the alleys of an empty world. The wind carried shattered glass and unfulfilled dreams with it. Heartless were lurking in every shadow, hungry to devour any life that dare cross its path. Above the broken streets and towering buildings was dormant the Kingdom Hearts. It floated above emitting a pale solemn glow across the hollowed world .Traces of neon light could be found in its ever tall spires. The many battles that had been fought in the desolate world had shown its wear. Nothing but, a but despair was left. A sobering feeling to any that found themselves here.

In the streets heartless devoured one another to satiate their hunger for hearts. No pure hearts had entered this realm in some time. Despite devouring their own kin, it still wasn't enough to satisfy the empty pit in their bellies. They roamed the streets in troves, avoiding even the dimmest flicker of light.

Over in a dark abandoned alley, a dark black vortex began to take shape. The once dormant portal had slept for many years. It burst forth darkness, shaking the entire cityscape to its core. From its depths a beautiful woman with long, jet black hair emerged from its depths.

The heartless who hid in the shadows began to take notice and began to pool on top of one of another out of curiosity. Their beady yellow eyes dilated at the sight of the mysterious woman. She wore a long black dress, had a curvaceous figure, and striking red lips. Desperate for their first meal in ages, the heartless shrieked and dove in head first. Each scrambling over one another to reach her first. Shadows and Soldiers both, were craving to fill the empty pits in chests. Claws outright, they aimed to end the woman's life.

The woman in the long black dress let out a scoff in disbelief. Her lips falling into a frown as she raised her right arm. The tips of her fingers began to extend.

Before the mysterious woman could strike out at her attackers, a human like form wisped past her at great speed. The heartless shrieked with terror as destruction was upon them. The form appeared human in shape, but ravaged the heartless like a beast. It swatted them aside with ease and crushing them under its heel like an insect. The heartless ran in fear for their lives, but their hunter let none escape.

"Disgusting creatures!" they growled at the heartless. From the dim light the form of the mysterious being was revealed, an Ouroboros tattoo was printed firmly on its left thigh. The disastrous being was a homunculus. The homunculus had a superior muscular form to that of the heartless. They were slender and fit, had green dreads that met with their back, and a menacingly frightening grin.

The woman followed slowly behind her companion, but kept her distance. She didn't want to be caught in their rampage. "Come now Envy, they're not so much of a nuisance as to waste our time with." She chided her more hotblooded companion. She kept her cool and as always, maintained an air of control around her.

Envy swung their head back at the woman with an annoyed expression. "They are like roaches. I swear these ugly things are everywhere that we go nowadays Lust! I just feel like thinning their numbers a bit!" Envy struck out at another shadow heartless, impaling it through the chest in one swift motion.

"That they are. I can't deny they are an eyesore." Lust agreed with a frown. She casted a glance upwards at the towers. Heartless weren't the only creatures they were on the lookout for. White figures had been watching them in the far distance, each moving in unpredictable patterns. They were the Nobodies. White creatures that had invaded the homunculus' world. These nobodies that watched her companions and she were the dusks. Just some of the few that had caused absolute chaos in the past few hours. Lust would be remiss to not admit that their existence fascinated her. "Is this where you all came from?"

A loud crunching noise broke Lust away from her observations. She glanced backwards to find their other companion handling the heartless in his own way. The large homunculus was the last to emerge from the vortex. His form was largely plump and round in stature, his head pure bald, and pupils near nonexistent. His face was innocent, but his demeanor betrayed him. He held two soldier heartless' in his large, lumbering arms. Each hand held firm vice grips around each heartless' neck. The heartless squirmed to no avail. With a large bite, his teeth dug into their skin. Each bite took chunks out of each one. "These snacks aren't as good as the food from home Lust," he moaned in disappointment.

"Gluttony there you are." She let out a sigh of disappointment. "I told you not to eat those filthy little creatures. Who knows where that trash has been lurking?"

"Ah, who cares about all that. They break just as easy as humans do." Envy voiced nonchalantly Envy came to join the two. They looked around as if expecting something else to be nearby. "Speaking of humans, do you think Fullmetal came through as well?"

Lust glanced around curiously, but saw no one nearby. Though they had just been fighting the blond alchemist Edward Elric, she saw neither sign of him nor his brother Alphonse anywhere. There was no debris either from their battle. This revelation fascinated her. As during their fight, collateral damage wouldn't have been hard to miss. The place that the homunculus now found themselves in was completely different in every facet.

"We would have seen him by now. Best we find out where we are for now." Lust answered taking slow strides towards the steps of the tallest building. The architecture here was nothing like she had ever seen before. From the neon shaded lights, to the large towering buildings, and the dark dampen streets. Lust recognized nothing. "I don't think we are in Amestris anymore."

At the end of Lust's sentence, the lone sound of clapping began. The homunculi were quickly on the defensive. Lust and Envy both shot glances up to the top of the tower that loomed above them. A man cloaked in a black trench coat hovered above them, his hands forced together with admiration. His yellow eyes could be seen glowering down at the homunculi. The cloaked man jumped down to meet them, the force of his feet hitting the pavement sent the group back a few paces. "So, you have arrived." He muttered in an ominous voice.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Envy was the first to shout with a confused expression. The homunculus took a defensive stance, ready to attack at any moment. "More importantly, just who the hell are you supposed to be. Some new alchemist they cooked up for us to lay waste to?"

The man studied Envy closely, before turning his gaze to Lust. "You must be the leader?"

Lust eyed the stranger suspiciously. He had been expecting them here. A wry grin formed the woman's face. "Maybe you should answer our question before we skip the pleasantries." The woman was in no mood to tested by this stranger. The claws from his fingers expanded. He had been watching them from the moment they entered this world, he was atop the tower with his many creatures that had been seen in their world.

"My name is of no importance," he spoke with no hint of malice in his voice. "but if you must know. I am Xemnas, the ruler of the place in which you now find yourselves. The World that Never was. I guide those who find themselves stranded in between worlds."

"In between worlds?" Lust was confused. They were in Amestris when a calamity had struck. One minute they were fighting, the next thing they knew the sky had cracked. With the ground beginning to sunder. Shortly after everything had gone black and homunculi had found themselves here. "Is this place not Amestris?"

"I am afraid not. As I said before you are in between worlds" He answered curtly. "If you have questions, I have the answers you seek. Follow and you will find what it is you are looking for."

Envy let out a scoff of annoyance. "And you expect us to believe you? We hardly know you."

Xemnas starred at Envy with a blank expression and removed his hood. All three homunculi caught a look of his striking long white spiky hair and dark tanned skin. His sharp yellow eyes met once more with Lust. "I have been expecting you in this world for quite some time. You have so much to learn, and yet we have so little time. I believe that we can help each other. Or, you can stay here and soon the heartless will be upon you once more."

Lust paused. They had little other options. They had a severe lack of knowledge when it came to their situation. Killing this man wouldn't be in their best interests. "Envy we are going to go along with his little game for now."

"What?" Envy looked to Lust with a flabbergasted expression. "You can't be serious?"

"Oh, I am." She spoke with certainty. Her lips curled into a smile. "Please then Xemnas, indulge us in your company."

Xemnas turned his back on the homunculi a wicked smile forming on his face. He glanced towards the pale light in the sky. The heart that hovered over his lonely world. This was just the beginning for him. "It would be my pleasure."

**~o~ Amestris – Central Command ~o~**

Meanwhile in the continent of Amestris, turmoil had taken hold of the entire world. The sky was cracked in several directions, like shattering. The earth had begun to shake under the feet of its citizens and the entire world was in disarray. There was no refuge to be found as buildings were torn to shreds by monstrous winds and the waters began to evaporate with each passing minute. Central City had fallen to a mysterious darkness. The sky was an ominous purple and had formed into a gargantuan sized vortex. Giant creatures filled the streets, attacking innocent bystanders. Heartless attacked anyone they could find with no remorse.

The Amestrian military had tried their best to fend off the army of mysterious creatures that were invading their city, but to no avail. Heartless weren't the only monsters that they had to contend with. The Nobodies were quick to snatch hearts from whoever they could sneak up on. Dusks had strangled the life of the soldiers and they were on their last legs.

The streets were drenched in a mixture of black ooze and blood. Central Command was the final haven for those trying to escape the darkness that had invaded their world. And with each minute another piece of the building that housed survivors would fly into the vortex above.

Inside Central command's library stood a blond alchemist. The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. He stood at 4'll, brandished a long red cloak with the symbol of the flamel on its back. His metal automail arm was recognizable by all who had heard the tales of his adventures. The 17 year old teen held off a horde of heartless at the doors of the library.

He slashed each who approached with a combination of earthen weapons created from the walls near him, and his trusty automail blade. Edward was an expert user of alchemy so they beasts that attacked him were child's play. "Come on is that all you got!" he shouted as he slashed through another big body heartless. The heartless numbers were nonstop. That wasn't his only worry. Inside the library civilians were hidden. They weren't the only people there, his childhood friend Winry was as well.

Through the closed doors of the library, civilians huddled up against the walls in fear. They felt the creaking of the building. It whined and cracked with each sway from the wind. Each, more powerful than the last. The wooden structure would soon give way. The heartless were horded outside of Central Command slamming against the already crippled building. The military defending in the streets had fallen to the ravenous beasts.

Huddled close to a crying child was the Resemble local automail mechanic, Winry Rockbell. Her jean coat and skirt were covered in soot, along with her pale white skin and long blond ponytail. She like everyone else in the room was a mess. She rubbed the little girl's brown hair as she cried.

"Mommy!" The child wailed in despair. "I want my mommy!?"

"There, there." Winry soothed the young girl, "Everything will be okay." Her voice wavered. She tried to remain calm, but she wasn't sure if there was need to be. The city was almost completely gone. Her heart felt heavy. She was sure the end would be upon them soon. Winry shook her head. She had to remain positive for the young girl and anyone else that were scared out of their minds in this room.

Her thoughts were scattered by the sound of the library door busting open. Edward and a couple of remaining soldiers flooded into the library and were quick to barricade the doors. "We have to hold these doors. Don't let any of them pass!" Edward clapped his hands together sending sparks of electricity around the room. The walls formed another layer of concrete to reinforce the wooden doors.

"Ed!" Winry got up and went to him. The alchemist was covered in a combination of soot, dried blood, and sweat. He looked exhausted. The creatures that plagued them seemed unstoppable. She was sure the Fullmetal alchemist was reaching his limits. Even still the question that had been bugging the mechanic left her lips. "How are things holding up out there?"

"About as good as you can expect." Ed muttered taking a seat at one of the desks. He glanced over his automail arm. It was tattered in scratches and beginning to look warped. The steel frame couldn't take much more alchemy. He knew they were on their last legs. "Command has fallen apart. No one can get in touch with Colonel Mustang or the Fuhrer. I think we are on our own."

Winry stared in her mouth agape. She was in disbelief. "Well, that has to be something we can do? Have you been able to reach Alphonse since he left?"

Edward's face grew grim and he looked down in silence.

The mood between the two of them had grown a lot stiffer with that comment. Winry's worst fears were beginning to come into fruition. Alphonse Elric, was the younger brother of the Fullmetal alchemist. He had left their side not long after the homunculi had launched their attack on the two of them. Winry had come to visit the pair in Central City when the calamity had occurred in the middle of the homunculi attack. Alphonse had left to go and assist the soldiers on the streets, but they hadn't heard back since the city began to descend into chaos.

A loud snapping sound sent both of their attention to the window.

The sound of splintering could be heard as the roof above their heads snapped in two. From the top of the libraries roof stood a heartless the size of a building. The heartless was a Darkside, one of the most powerful of its kind. Its bright beady eyes glowered down at the innocent people below and it began its attack by first crushing an unexpecting man.

"We're going to die!" A woman screamed as the shadow heartless descended on the room from the newfound hole.

"Shit! What in the world is that?!" Edward pulled Winry behind him and brandished his metal blade. "Winry stay close to me!"

Winry didn't listen however, she dashed towards the young girl that she had previously tried to calm from the horrors. However, before she could reach her the building began to crumble under the immense weight of the heartless. The vortex snapped lightning, striking both people and heartless. Twisters formed and began to pull the world apart. Their last vestige of peace was at its end. The little girl that Winry had dove for spiraled into the sky above. "Nooooo!" Winry screeched in terror. She made one last desperate dive to save her from the cruel fate.

Edward lunged from the desk and grabbed Winry's arm. He was barely clinging on. The force of the vortex pulling them in was powerful. "Are you crazy, you'll die to!?"

The blond mechanic could hardly stifle a reply before she felt her fingers slipping from Edward's grasp. She gripped in disparity not wanting to slip. The people that once surrounded both Winry and Edward had vanished. The world around them had finally begun its descent into oblivion.

"Just hold on Winry." Edward grunted as pulled her in with all his strength. He held his arms tightly around her and pinned them both under the desk. He had already lost his brother, he couldn't imagine losing Winry to. No, he refused to lose Winry.

"Ed," Winry whispered, her expression drained of all life. "are we going to be okay?"

"I…. I don't know." Edward responded meekly. The sound of a loud snapping wood could be heard once more. The building had been torn from the earth and they were airborne, both heartless and nobodies swirling in glee as the vortex pulled them in. Edward closed his eyes cursed it all. They still had so much to live for. This couldn't be the end. He opened them, his eyes locking with Winry. He pulled her close. "Just stay close to me."

Winry closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Edward. If this was to be the end, at least they were together. She buried her head in his shoulder. "Okay."

Nothing, but darkness was left. The remnants of the world were pulled into the dark abyss. Amestris was devoured.

* * *

Hello everyone, this is J1210 here! It has been years since I have posted on this website. One day I was reading many of my old stories and feeling nostalgic. It was there I decided I wanted to test myself. I wanted to rewrite an old story. Something I had poured years of my life into, but better. Also I wanted to give the entire saga a proper conclusion. This won't be only a rewrite, but a complete revision. Certain aspects of the plot change will change. I feel as though this is my preferred version of telling this tale. Please enjoy. This is an AU and takes place after Kingdom Hearts II / Brotherhood verse.


	2. Misplaced

**~o~ **

**Heir to Darkness: Rewrite**

**Chapter 2: Misplaced **

"So, Squall do you think they're dead?" The voice of a black haired kunoichi asked her companion. In a dark alleyway the two committee members were looking for people with signs of life. A dark vortex had begun to rain down heartless all over the world, some people with it. The female ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi leaned over the lifeless lump, whose clothing was tattered in tears and dark sludge. She took pokes at the bodies. The unconscious casualties of Amestris laid in front of her. Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell had been tossed into this alleyway.

Behind Yuffie stood her companion. The gunblade swordsman, Squall Leonhart.

"I told you before, it's Leon." He grumbled in annoyance. He always had to correct her when it came to his name. Still Yuffie had always insisted on teasing him.

Leon's eyes looked up to the sky. His eyes fixated on the sight above. A large spiral like void had appeared over their Radiant Garden. The void was spreading darkness all over like a storm. Countless heartless had begun to rain upon the city, causing havoc for its inhabitants. For the safety of the town's civilians, Leon had rallied the local Restoration Committee and moved everyone to the Garden's Castle for safety.

He and his bubbly partner had been dispatched to clean up the mess that the heartless were creating.

A sudden groan made both Yuffie and Leon jump in surprise. Leon stood at the ready with his gunblade cocked. Staring down at Yuffie's direction he narrowed his eyes at the two strangers. If it came down to it, he would to attack anyone threatening their lives.

Yuffie placed her hand over her mouth and gasped in shock. Before them the once unconscious blond boy looked towards the two. Lowering his blade, Leon made his way to Yuffie's side to assist the alchemist to his feet.

"Ugh." he released a slow moan as he pushed an unconscious Winry from his atop him.

"I can't believe it, it's alive!" Yuffie announced in disbelief. "I thought this one was certainly dead!"

"Of course, it's alive!" Ed muttered trying to grasp his bearings. His body was sore and his arm tattered in cuts and bruises. He was hardly on his feet before he stumbled, and Leon caught him. The alchemist had a terrible headache, but he was still alive nonetheless.

Leon looked concerned for Ed's physical state. He deduced that they had come from a different world. He had never seen them in Radiant Garden before and their clothes were of a vastly different culture. Much like most the residents of the Radiant Garden were at one point. Odds were he and his friend had been misplaced by that vortex above. "Take it easy kid. You and your friend took a massive fall here." Leon shifted his eyes to Yuffie who was already checking on the blond girl who lay unconscious.

She looked up and shook her head. "She's still out cold. Has a pulse though."

"Yuffie, take him to meet with Cid and Aerith. They should still be posted up at Merlin's. Get his wounds tended to. I'll be right behind you with the girl."

"Roger, dodger!" the youthful ninja saluted and bounded off towards the home of the old wizard Merlin. She didn't wait up for the alchemist.

Edward however, turned his attention to the unconscious mechanic. "Is Winry going to be alright?"

"She will be once we get her to Aerith. She's a healer, so don't worry. Aerith will make sure she is fine. But firstly, you need to get there. You won't last much longer on your feet. We will catch up."

"Right," Edward wanted to argue, but lacked the energy to. These seemed like decent folk, from what he could gauge. So he chose to put a little bit of faith in them. "I didn't catch your name. I'm Ed. Edward Elric."

"Leon."

Satisfied with their short introduction Ed limped off after Yuffie.

Leon turned his attention back to Winry. He picked up the teen girl and looked at her with a worried expression. This was just like two years ago when Sora had appeared in Traverse Town. The same vortex and heartless appearing. Something was out there consuming worlds again. "What could be causing them to return like this?"

It didn't take the group long to reach the Restoration Committee's base of operations, Merlin the wizard's home. There Yuffie was the first to arrive and spilt the gist of what had occurred to the only member present at the time, Aerith. Yuffie had a bad habit of explaining things to quickly, but the kind flower girl Aerith caught her drift. Not long after Yuffie arrived, did Edward finally come stumbling through the door.

"Yuffie why didn't you help him?" Aerith rushed to help him over to a chair and then made her way to the other side of the room. There she rummaged through the cabinet for a few medical supplies. Aerith located bandages, alcohol, and a potion.

"Well he seemed like he was doing fine to me." Yuffie shrugged and skipped to Aerith's side. "By the by. Where are Merlin and Cid at?"

Aerith pointed in the direction of the kitchen and the ninja left skipping off. Making her way back towards Edward it was there that he caught a good look at her. She had long brown hair, tied back into a tight braid and wore a long floral pink dress. She had lovely fair skin, and dazzling green eyes. It had been awhile since a woman so beautiful had made Ed blush. The fair flower maiden handed him the green potion. "Now then, make sure you drink the potion down to the last drop. Those drinks tend to work the best when you down it in one go."

"Th-thank you." He managed to sputter out. The potion had a strange green glow to it. He put the potion to his lips and began to chug it. The potion had a strange bitter taste to it, but slowly he felt his vitality beginning to return to him. This whole place was strange. After Edward finished the potion, Aerith helped him removed his red cloak and attended to his wounds. She cleaned and bandaged his many cuts that litter this body. "Sorry, for the trouble."

Aerith gave a sympathetic glance. "No trouble at all. We all have had trouble with the heartless at one point or another. So taking care of patients isn't something is new to be. It's sort of my specialty. Oh, I am Aerith by the way. I didn't catch your name before?"

"I'm Edward." He replied. He was honestly shocked that she didn't comment on his automail arm. Perhaps automail was a common around this town. Either that, or she was not one to pry.

"Pleasure to meet you Ed." She smiled kindly.

Edward's face flushed. He had never seen a smile so pure in his life. This woman must have been an angel. Aerith got up and left to dispose of the dirty rags. Edward was left to think. He had so many questions. His thoughts were beginning to steady out. _"Where are we? What happened to Amestris? Is Al okay? What did she mean by heartless? Were those the creatures we were fighting? Is Winry alright?" _That thought struck Edward like lightning. He shot up, startling Aerith on the other side of the room. "Winry! Where is Winry?!"

"Calm down." From behind Ed, came the voice of Leon. He walked through the front door with Winry in tow.

Before Ed could make his way to her side, Aerith was already there. She helped Leon lay her onto the nearby bed and checked her heart. "Good, her heartrate is steady." Aerith went to work. The woman chanted some words that Ed didn't quite comprehend. A flowery green and white veil began to form over Winry.

Ed had never seen any alchemy like that before in Amestris. Was it some sort of healing alchemy?

"Leon fetch me some warm towels. Ed could you bring me some more of alcohol and bandages. They should be in the backroom." Aerith asked.

"Right then." Leon was off without another word.

Edward nodded intensely and made his way to the back room that Aerith had pointed out. From the outside, this house had looked rather small. However, the interior had been larger than he anticipated. The backroom was filled with plenty of things he had never seen in Amestris. The most blatant was the feather dusters and brooms sweeping by themselves in the backroom. How was that even possible? The sight itself was odd, but then again, he had seen stranger things. "I should ask them about the alchemy they perform here."

On the wall he saw strange jars filled with liquid like the potion he had drunk. Blue, red, purple, countless colors filled the shelves. The room hadn't been cleaned in sometime, it was littered in dust. Ed found it a bit hard to breathe. Massive amounts of books and scrolls were stacked up amongst the clutter as well.

"It's a bit messy back there! We've been telling Merlin to clean up back there." He heard Aerith shout from the front room. "But they should be by the wizard hats!"

"Wizard hats?" Edward repeated. Was there even such a thing as a real wizard? They were called alchemists where he was from. Magic didn't exist, just the basic principles of alchemy. He found the countless pointy tipped hats and surely enough a first aid kit was close by. He found some reserve bottles of alcohol in a crate nearby. He dusted it off and brought it back to Aerith.

She took the alcohol and had begun to clean Winry's wounds, like she had done to his. The flower girl glanced to him and gave a look. "I'm going to clean her up now and give her a fresh pair of clothes. I will see about finding you some new garments later. Why don't you head back to the kitchen and meet the others?"

Ed nodded and headed off to the back. There he had found the carefree bubbly ninja that had led him to Merlin's home earlier. She had noticeably short jet black hair. She wore a ninja's headband which had reminded Ed of a certain foreign folk he had met back in Amestris. Her outfit consisted of a short black crop-top and crew shorts. He had heard Leon say her name before, Yuffie. She had a carefree and bubbly air about here.

"Oh, looksee Cid. This is the guy I was telling you about before. The short kid that ended up falling from the sky." She skipped to his side. "How are you feeling short stack?"

"_Short?"_ Edward's antenna shot up. "Just who do you think you are calling short!"

Yuffie snickered. "You shortcake. It's been awhile since I've met a guy as tiny as you."

Ed opened his mouth to retort before Cid cut him off.

"Ah, don't mind Yuffie. She just loves to tease all of us. We call her the resident jokester of the Radiant Garden. I'm one of her frequent victims. The name's Cid Highwind. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm the mechanic, technician, and engineer around here. If its broke, I fix it. " Cid stuck out his hand. Edward gripped it with his damaged automail hand. The cigarette that Cid had been smoking fell from his mouth. "My, my what fine piece of work is this? I ain't never seen a prosthetic look so advanced before."

Edward stared as Cid looked over his arm in awe. "This is automail. They seriously don't have this where you guys are from? Its commonplace in Amestris, especially for amputees. My friend out there made it. Winry's a pretty skilled mechanic."

"Winry? Yuffie said confused. "Oh, you mean your girlfriend!"

Edward's face flushed red. "Me and Winry are not dating!"

"You sure about that? Your face betrays you Ed." Yuffie teased.

The three had talked in the kitchen for several minutes and Edward had learned a few things about them. Both Cid and Yuffie worked for the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. They worked alongside Leon and Aerith. Yuffie was a kunoichi, a female ninja who worked as reconnaissance for the city. She was also responsible with helping with some the miscellaneous requests of the city folk. Cid, as he said earlier handled all the maintenance for the city. He managed their water, electricity, and defense systems. He was a busy guy.

After their introductions Cid turned to Edward with a serious expression. "So you said you were from Amestris, eh? That must be the world of origin that you and your friend rained in from."

"World?" Edward said confused. Amestris was a country for what he knew. The world consisted of several countries, his own being one of them. "What do you mean world? Are we not in Amestris anymore?"

As Edward asked those questions Leon walked into the kitchen interrupting the three. The man was much taller than the alchemist. He was covered in leather, from his jacket all the way to his pants. He had long hair and a rough scar trailing across his face. He had an air about him that reminded Ed of Colonel Mustang. This was the man that had come to their rescue along with Yuffie.

"Oh, hey there Squall." Yuffie beamed brightly in his direction.

Leon shook his head at her. "Yuffie I-"he sighed getting ready to correct her. "Why do I even bother? Look." he glanced to Edward. "I told you before the name's Leon. At least make sure you get it right. I'm sure you have a lot of questions. We have most of the answers you are looking for. Your friend is starting to wake up. Best we tell you everything that you want to hear at the same time."

He motioned for Edward to move back to the main room where he saw Winry sitting up rubbing the bandage that Aerith had applied to her head. She looked much better than when the committee had first brought her in. Some of the life had returned to her cheeks. Winry looked up and met with Ed's gaze and looked instantly relieved. "Ed!"

Edward sat next to Winry. "How are you feeling?"

Winry stroked her blond hair and smiled softly. "My cuts are a little sore, but I will be alright. Aerith took good care of me." She glanced at the flower girl gratefully.

Aerith held up her hands in embarrassment. "It was nothing. I'm just glad the both of you are alright."

Yuffie seconded. "For real, it's not often people survive a fall from that height. At least ordinary people that is."

As the Restoration Committee gathered around the table Edward could feel a strong camaraderie between them. He could tell the mood had shifted in the room. Things were about to get serious. He steeled himself. Leon was first to start the meeting. "So I will put this bluntly. You might find this hard to believe, but the concept of there being other worlds in which people reside is real."

"Very real." Cid backed up. "The world in which you find yourselves in now is the Radiant Garden. It's our home, so you all should be safe here for the most part."

"Well, at least while we are around that is." Yuffie laughed. "This place is safe with our defense system. Cid is a crackpot genius, so it pretty much does the job of taking out most the heartless population for us. If there are any tough guys around, me and Leon usually take care of them. Cloud and Tifa usually help to, but they are out cleaning up some of the stronger ones still roaming around town."

This was a lot of Edward to take in. The concepts of there being other worlds wasn't something he had even thought of before. No one would have thought that something out of this world was real. Was it the vortex that had taken them here? He was having his doubts, but they seemed to have intimate knowledge of those dark beings that he had faced in Amestris. "So these creatures? You called them the heartless, what exactly are they?"

Leon expression harden. "The heartless are the enemy. They are emotionless and aggressive monsters. They are formed when a person allows the darkness in their hearts to fully consume them. There are several different kinds of heartless, but the most common is a shadow. Heartless are like the plague. By themselves they are easy enough to deal with. But get too many of them together in one spot and they can become a deadly force. Swarms of them consume worlds if left unchecked. We thought we put a stop to them before, but-."

"They are coming back." Aerith held her head down. "I'm sorry."

Winry and Edwards eyes grew wide at this revelation.

"A- are you saying that our world was…" Winry trailed off.

"Consumed?" Leon paused. "Odds are if you are here. Then that is the case."

Edward felt an odd anger building up in him. He was finding this hard to believe, but the evidence of it was beginning to mount._ "These people have to be pulling our leg. Our world is gone? What is that even supposed to mean? Me and Al were supposed to find the Philosopher's stone. We're supposed to get his body back together. What is any of this!?"_

Winry spoke next. Her voice was shaken. "Does that mean that all the people we know are gone? What happened to them?"

"What do you recall happening before you came here?" Leon asked.

"We were under attack by the heartless. The sky was dark and breaking." Winry recalled. Edward noticed her discomfort recalling the tale. The memories were still fresh. "There was a tornado or something sucking everything away into the sky. Countless people, woman and children both. Last thing I remember was being pulled in and everything going black."

"Sound familiar." Cid looked to Leon.

"Very." He agreed. "Three things could have happened to them. One, they were sucked into the vortex and misplaced like the two of you were on our world. That would be the ideal situation. It means they are alive and well. Two, they were attacked by a heartless and their heart was consumed. Three, when they were sucked into the vortex its possible that they could've been turned into a heartless in the process. That is the worst case scenario."

"So, in two of those scenarios, they could be as good as dead?" Ed asked, his voice hoarse. His fists tightened onto his pant legs. Gripping it out of pure frustration.

Aerith looked back up sympathetically at Edward. "Your world may be gone, but you are still alive. That has to mean something. So don't give up, there has to be a way to bring your world and all of your people back."

"How can you be so sure!?" Edward snapped. He immediately felt bad for shouting at her, but Aerith was unfazed. She knew that both of them were hurting.

"We know because we were once in a very similar situation." Leon answered. "Radiant Garden, was once a world that got consumed by the heartless. It was destroyed completely and taken over by a witch. She brought the heartless with her and consumed our world. Countless people were turned into heartless, even more were killed. Even still, it took a few years and with some help we managed to get it back."

Aerith continued. "When we lost our world we got misplaced to a world called Traverse Town. It was filled with a bunch of misplaced people like ourselves. There we made a home for ourselves with other survivors. When the heart to our world was restored, some of the people managed to come back with it."

"The story was the same on other worlds to." Leon said. "Restore the heart to the world. Everyone comes back. If Merlin was here, he could go in depth. For now, we can't take any immediate action when it comes to your world. We need to focus on clearing out the heartless that have rained in from Amestris first. Then we can focus on rallying with are allies."

"You said it was possible that some of the people from Amestris turned into heartless. If we were to take them out wouldn't that be killing our own kind?" Edward asked with a serious expression. "Are you all really okay with that?"

"Realistically it's the best option you have at saving those people." Aerith answered. "If you destroy their heartless form. Their hearts become freed. When their hearts are free, they return to Kingdom Hearts."

"Kingdom Hearts?" Winry whispered. "Wha-what is that?"

Leon sighed. "Like I said, if Merlin was here he could explain it better. I know this is a lot of information to take in right now. All I can say is that right now the steps to getting your world back isn't going to be easy. It took us years to get back here, even then we didn't do it ourselves. We had the help of the Keybearers."

"Keybearers?" All of this really was confusing to Edward. He understood the basic concept of the heartless, but each answer presented more questions. "Who the hell are the Keybearers?"

"Well that's-." Before Yuffie could finish her sentence the front door slammed open.

In front of the group stood a blond swordsman. His face was filled worried and his hair mopped with sweat. Ed could tell that he must've run all the way to the house. The man walked towards the group and spoke. "Hate to cut this little get together short, but the castle is in trouble. The heartless are mounting an assault and we need to move now. Tifa is holding the line, but she can't do it for much long."

Leon glanced to Yuffie with a stern expression.

Edward could tell they had a strong bond between them. One that didn't even require words. Yuffie grabbed her giant shuriken and was already out of the door. Bounding off of buildings in the direction of the castle. Cloud was right behind her not wasting a second longer in the room.

Leon looked to Aerith and Cid next. "Cid, get on activating the prototype defense system for the castle. Seal the doors until I give the all clear. Aerith, be on standby for injured civilians. We don't know if any found a way to phase into the castle." He grabbed his gunblade then turned to Edward and Winry. "We will have to finish our discussion later I'm afraid." Leon turned to leave.

"Wait," Edward stopped him. Standing up, the Fullmetal alchemist stretched his arm and rotated his automail. It was a bit damaged from the last fight, but Ed knew it could still function properly. His body was still sore, but he was feeling slightly rejuvenated. "I am coming with you. If there is a fight, I will be there."

Winry stood up. "Ed, you can't be serious!?"

"I'm very." Edward pulled his red cloak back on. "We owe the Restoration Committee a debt. And if innocent people are in danger, I intend to help out."

Leon looked to his arm. He could see the scratches on the metal frame. Leon could tell he had a harden look about him. "So, are you trustworthy in a fight?"

"You can bet your ass I am." Ed smiled. Beating up some heartless would be exactly what he needed to get his mind off of everything the committee had told him. He needed to let off some steam and the heartless were his would be his perfect outlet, especially if it meant freeing those trapped hearts. Edward strode out the door confidently wearing a smirk. "We then shall we."

Leon looked to Winry and shrugged.

She sighed and sat back at the table. Of course she couldn't stop him. Under her breath she muttered. "Be safe, you idiot..."

* * *

I hope that you all enjoyed chapter two. I had fun fleshing this one out. In the original, I felt like I hadn't given the Restoration Committee much character development aside from Yuffie. She was my obvious favorite at the time. I feel like the others could use equal treatment. Especially characters like Aerith, Cid, Cloud, and Tifa. I wanted to change that in this story. Give them more screen time and have their personalities and motivations fleshed out more. If you can, leave a review. I appreciate it.


	3. The Mysterious Armor

**~o~**

**Heir to Darkness: Rewrite**

**Chapter 3: The Mysterious Armor**

Destiny Islands is a small, peaceful set of islands. The sun is bright, the breeze is calm, and the sky is a bright blanket of blue. Seagulls squawked, flying along the shimmering blue coast. Calm as can be, nothing would upset the tranquility of the quaint small community. The world that the island's encompassed was small. Only a hand full of islanders called this place home, but it was no ordinary home. It was the home of the world's heroes, the Keybearers.

Underneath a paopu tree, slept a boy in his late teens. He had spiky brown hair and skin that had been kissed by the sun. This boy was Sora, he was the Keyblade wielder and hero of worlds. The boy once fought the heartless with his allies, Donald and Goofy to save the people he held dear. Sora had now settled back into his mundane and peaceful island life, that he so dearly missed. He snored silently next to girl, tired from the school work he had been subjected to all day.

Next to Sora sat the red haired girl in a school uniform. This seventeen year old girl was one of the princesses of heart, Kairi. She held a sketchbook in her lap. A light brown was her color of choice. She used the pencil and filled the space between Sora's hair. Kairi was careful in her selection of colors for the boy. She picked up a black pencil and began to sketch the rough spikes into his portrait. She gave a gentle glance towards him as she finished her drawing. His silent snoring was adorable.

"Still sleeping huh?" A voice came from in front of her. Kairi turned her attention upwards and found a tall, silver haired boy approaching the pair. It was their childhood friend Riku. "I swear, Sora will sleep like a log if you let him."

"Oh, hey Riku!" Kairi greeted him with a friendly wave. She put her sketchbook against the sand and nudged Sora lightly. He slowly fell in her lap startling her. "Hey sleepy head, time to wake up."

"Huh." Sora mumbled under his breath. Slowly the teens eyes began to open. Letting out of a large yawn, his gaze trailed to Riku, and then up to Kairi.

She gently moved his brown hair out of his ocean blue eyes and smiled. "Finally awake? Get enough sleep Sora?"

"Wah!" Sora shot up on his feet. His face was beat red and filled with embarrassment. His eyes could barely meet with Kairi's as he sputtered out "So-sorry Kairi!"

Kairi let out a laugh and stood up along side of him. "Sorry for being a lazy bum, or sorry for falling asleep on me?"

Sora tried to play off his embarrassment. He put his hands behind his head and shrugged. "Who knows." Though it had been a year since they had been reunited, Kairi still found it cute that Sora would get embarrassed around her. The battle with the Organization and the heartless had been long behind the three friends. A whole year had passed for the teens to get reacquainted with one another.

Returning home was something Sora and Riku had looked forward to. Soon everything had returned to normal life with friends and family. The boys had been admonished by their parents for being gone for so long. Settling back into school was something both Sora and Riku loathed, but Kairi more than happy to help them catch up with their schoolwork. She was just happy to have her two best friends back.

In the time that passed Kairi and Sora had spent many days together. Their reunion being something both had only dreamed possible. It wasn't long until both teens confessed their feelings for one another under the paopu tree and found themselves dating.

"Are you two lovebirds done yet?" Riku chimed in rolling his eyes. "I swear every time the two of you are together nowadays, it's all lovely dovey. Still find it hard to believe either of you were even able to get out one of those _three special words_."

Kairi puffed out her cheeks and pouted. Riku had loved to tease them nowadays. Kairi put away her art supplies and turned her attention over to her friends. "So, what's up Riku?"

Riku pointed in the direction of the dock. "Looks like Selphie found something weird washed up against the show. I've never seen anything like it before. It's medieval armor or something. I thought Sora might know something about it?"

Sora and Kairi both tilted their heads out of curiosity.

Kairi looked to Sora and asked. "Maybe you could've seen something like it during your travels with Donald and Goofy. Couldn't hurt to have a look?"

Sora nodded in agreement. The boy had been to many worlds with his old companions. The trio made their way down from their favorite tree to the sea shore. There by the dock they found a girl with a bright yellow sun dress. She turned her head, her short curly brown locks following suit. She waved excitedly as her friends approached.

Selphie ran up and grabbed Kairi's arm "So check this out! It's crazy! Me and Riku were coming back from class and came across this helmet."

"I don't know if _came across_ is the right term." Riku said with a wry smile directed at Selphie.

She frowned. "Well, we were exiting the boat and my foot sort, slammed into it."

"She was wailing like a kid for like five minutes." Riku laughed as Selphie fumed. "I'd never seen her make a face like that before."

"Argh! Keep laughing at me and we are going to see you make a face like we've never seen before!" Selphie shouted as she chased Riku around the beach.

While the two teens argued amongst themselves. Sora and Kairi moved closer to examine the strange helmet. Sora picked the helmet up to his face for closer examination. He brushed his fingers against the rough metal and admired it. The texture of the metal reminded him of his Keyblade. He had never seen such something like it before on his travels. He recalled Beast's Castle, none of the armor matched the helmet's appearance. "I've never seen a helmet like this before. Do you think it came from the other side?" He asked Riku.

"Its hard to say." Riku replied. "When we were over there, we didn't have the luxury of exploring the entire place."

Kairi looked at the two and it clicked instantly. "You must be talking about the Realm of Darkness?"

Selphie looked confused as the trio spoke. "Realm of wha- now?"

They ignored Selphie, and Kairi investigated the sand where the helmet previously laid. Under the gilded grains of yellow she spotted a faint twinkling light. Her hands instinctively went to digging. "Selphie, get down here and help me." Kairi barked a command.

Selphie looked confused. "But I just got my nails done and-."

"Just dig!" Kairi ordered.

Sora and Riku noticed what the girls were doing and soon joined in unearthing Kairi's discovery. Water washing up from the shore made the dig difficult, but after an hour or so they were able to get underneath a lot of the sand that had concealed the mystery. Halfway in the sandy beach was the remains of a full suit of gun platted steel armor.

Selphie let out a huff of breath and leaned on her back. She was exhausted. "That took forever!"

"Yeah, this was defiantly the first thing that I wanted to do after being let off of school." Sora muttered, while washing the sand from his hands in the ocean.

"Oh, quit your complaining you two!" Riku scolded them. "It's better than you two slacking around for once.!"

"You slack just as hard as we do!" Sora retorted.

Next to Sora, Kairi had moved closer to examine the suit of armor. It was defiantly something that she had never seen before. The armor itself did have a medieval look to it. The look of it was quite plain, but beautiful in its own way. Despite its numerous scratches it seemed like its metal had been taken care of it. It reminded her of the fairy books she had used to read in the library of Hollow Bastion as a child. Like a knight's armor. She trailed his fingers along the inner working of the armor and came across something that is interesting. "What is this?"

This caught the attention of the others Sora bent down. "Whatcha looking at?"

"Some sort of insignia, it looks like it's been painted on." Kairi answered, being careful not to rub to hard on the insignia.

Kairi shifted her attention inside of the suit of armor. She looked closer at the strange marking. Kairi couldn't explain why, but it seemed like the insignia was calling to her. As if she heard someone calling out for help. The armor felt alive. Slowly reaching her hand to the insignia, brushing it across the rough surface. Responding to Kairi's touch a sudden light shone from the insignia.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted! He dropped the helmet and ran to the girl's side. The teen tried to pull her back out of fear of her safety. "Get back from that thing!"

Riku summoned his Keyblade out of caution. "Are you sure that's a good idea?!"

Kairi raised her other hand. "No, it's fine I promise." Kairi didn't know why, but she felt like it was the right thing to do. She felt her heart swell as the light soon radiated from her chest. Placing her hand back on the insignia, she let a small portion of her own light flow into the armor.

At Sora's feet the helmet he once held began to roll back into the armor. He eyed it as it flung itself back into the top of the torso. "What in the world?"

Selphie stood next to Riku frantically looking around. "Riku what in the world is happening!?"

Riku ignored Selphie, his eyes still glued to Kairi. _"Is Kairi, breathing life back into that thing? Just when did she learn how to manipulate the light within her like that? _He still had his Keyblade raised up just in case he needed to protect his friends.

Kairi, with one last push released the last bit of light into the insignia. With that she pulled her hand back, releasing the ethereal flow of light. She gasped deeply and tried to catch her breath. Her gaze turned to her hand which shook hard. She had never performed any magic like that before. Slowly raising her hand to her chest, her heart pumped in her chest normally.

Sora placed his hands on her shoulders concerned. "Kairi are you alright?"

"I'm fine Sora. I swear…" she whispered easing some of his tension.

"Kairi, why did you do that? How did you do that?" Riku was the next to demand her attention. "Just what did you do to that thing?"

"I- I don't know." She answered honestly. Kairi's gaze met with the suit of armor. "That mark on it, it just felt like it was calling out to me. Asking for help. So, I… I put some of my light into it."

"How does a suit of armor ask for help?" Riku muttered to himself. He was still puzzled by what had occurred. Whatever the armor was, it wasn't ordinary.

"What the heck is happening!?" Their attention was turned to Selphie as she pointed at them and shrilled. The island girl was freaking out. "I knew it! I knew it! Ever since you two left Destiny Islands and came back, I knew something was off about you two. Now you've infected Kairi with your weirdness!"

All three friends looked at each other and then burst out laughing. The fact had just occurred to them, that Selphie had never seen them perform magic or summon their Keyblades. As the friends teased Selphie the sands began to shift between them.

Selphie's mouth went agap, turning their attention back to the armor. "Uhm, guys. That armor is moving."

The suit of armor that once lie dormant had begun to stir. Bright, red lights shone from inside the sockets of the helmet. And slowly the armor sat up, flexing its arms. Bright yellow dust fell from its cracks as it shifted. Sora and Riku both hopped in front ready for a fight. But to the surprise of everyone, the armor didn't attack, it spoke.

"Winry? Nii-san?" It spoke slowly. As consciousness returned, the armor jumped up startling the teens further. "Nii-san!? Winry!?" It called looking around the beach frantically. "Nii-san, Winry!? Where are you!?"

Selphie freaked out further. "That armor is talking! Its talking!"

The armor noticed the strange people near it and immediately took a fighting stance. Unfamiliar with the strange place and people. It was shaken. "Who are you people? Where have you taken me?" he demanded.

"Hey, hey its alright." Kairi raised her hands. She looked to Sora and Riku and urged them to lower their weapons. "It's alright, he is just scared is all." Kairi returned her attention to the scared suit of armor. She slowly approached it with her hands held out. "Don't worry, we aren't here to hurt you. I'm Kairi, do you have a name?"

The armor focused its attention on Kairi. Noticing she was unarmed, the tension between them slowly eased. "I- I..." The armor stumbled on its words.

Slowly Kairi was able to put her hand on the suit of armor's chest. "See?" She smiled. "No reason to worry."

The armor felt an odd warmth radiating from the girl's hand. Like it touched his soul. Feeling a bit more comfortable it answered her previous question. "I'm Al, Alphonse Elric."

Kairi couldn't help, but be surprised by the armor's childlike voice. Its appearance betrayed the sound it projected. She turned to the others and pointed towards them. "These are my friends. That goofy looking guy is over there is Sora."

"Goofy!?" Sora wailed.

"The one with silver hair is Riku." Then Kairi pointed to Selphie who hid behind a tree in the distance. "Our scaredy cat over there is Selphie."

Riku couldn't help, but be impressed by Kairi's compassion. She had always been brave, but her kindness continued to impress him every day. She had come a long way from being the girl he and Sora had tried so hard to protect. Riku released his Keyblade and made his way over to the two. Extended his hand, he offered a greeting. "Sorry, we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Riku, nice to meet you."

The armor's tension all, but melted away now that weapons were out of the equation. He shook Riku's hand and sighed in relief. "Nice to meet you all. I didn't mean to scare any of you." He said glancing towards Selphie who still glared suspiciously from behind the tree. "Do… do you know where I am? I believe I may might be a little lost."

"This place is the Destiny Islands!" Sora chirped. "We don't normally get many visitors here."

Riku nodded in agreement. "We're two small islands, smack dabbed in the middle of nowhere. There isn't any mainland close by for all that we know. Which leads me to believe, that you may be from another world entirely?"

"Another world?" Alphonse was confused by that statement. He looked to Kairi for answers. He didn't know why, but he felt an odd connection with this girl. Especially when they touched. He was confused at this entire situation. "You mean this place isn't Amestris?"

Kairi placed her hands over her friends' mouths. "You know, you two just know how to be absolutely overwhelming sometimes? Al just woke up, how about we give him some time to gain relax and then explain things to him. Right, Al?"

"_Al?" _Alphonse felt attachment to the shortened version of his name. She spoke with a certain familiarity, even though they had just met. Still, he felt he wasn't wrong to put his trust in this girl. "I- I suppose so."

"It's settled then!" Kairi crossed her arms. "We're going to sit down, roast some marshmallows, and have a nice long chat!"

That's exactly what the group did. Kairi was able to calm Selphie down and introduce her to Alphonse. Once, the initial fear had died down, the two got along swimmingly. In the meantime, she had sent Riku and Sora to fetch some marshmallows from their store house. She and Alphonse collected some firewood around their island. By the time that the sun set the teenagers had a nice bonfire going on the beach.

The teens enjoyed the cool evening on the Destiny Islands. They sat huddled around one another to capture the crisp warmth of the flames. Sora was happily eating his smores. He mashed the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows together. He downed each one greedily while Selphie starred at him disapprovingly. Riku had gone off on his own down to gather more firewood.

Kairi talked with Selphie about class and Alphonse sat a way apart from the group, trapped in deep thought. What the Keybearers had told him was unlike anything he had ever heard. In their time spent collecting supplies for their bonfire Sora, Kairi, and Riku had both explained to him the concept of different worlds. They described the significance of the heartless and how they were linked to his world. The heartless might have devoured the heart of Amestris. The thought of this made him anxious. The boy was scared out of his mind for his brother and Winry.

"Sora, maybe you should slow down!" Selphie chided the brown haired boy. "Save some for the rest of us."

The carefree teen finished his binge and laid back. "Ah, I'm full anyhow. Al can have the rest if he wants."

Kairi looked to Alphonse and asked. "Do you not eat much Alphonse? I haven't seen you touch anything."

Alphonse snapped out of his trance and looked towards the group around him. "Oh uhm… no not really. Since my soul is bound to this armor. I can't eat unfortunately… but there are a lot of foods I want to try! Once I get my body back of course."

Earlier, Alphonse had recalled the story of how he had lost his body and ended up soul bounded to the armor. In exchange for them providing what information they had on his situation, he decided it best to further put his trust in them. Being inside the armor didn't afford Alphonse as many luxuries as it did to be human. The group of friends had been shocked at the disturbing tale, but still grateful that he and his brother had made it out alive.

Kairi smiled caringly. "I'm sure you will get your body back really soon Al!"

"Aren't any of you concerned about the worlds?" Riku had returned with plenty of firewood in his hands. More then enough to pass the evening with. The time alone had stressed him out. "Think about what happened with Destiny Islands for a second? When the heart of our world got consumed, we got tossed out into the rough just like Alphonse here. That means the heartless are out, running wild again." He turned his attention Alphonse. "Do you recall anything that happened before you arrived here?"

Alphonse looked down at the fire and tried to remember. "I was fighting in the streets with my brother when the heartless invaded. We had been under attack already. Once the monsters started lashing at innocents we separated to help. Soon the ground began to crumble, and I fell into an abyss. Everything was dark for a while. It felt like I was lost… and then… then…" He trailed off.

Kairi put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "It's okay."

"Careful Sora, looks like you have some competition." Selphie teased him.

Sora looked confused at her comment. He wasn't the jealous type.

"I just remembering hearing Kairi's voice and then I was here." Alphonse looked down. "My brother, Winry, everyone… I wonder what happened to them?"

Kairi gave a worried look to Riku, who responded with the same. An awkward silence befell the group before Sora startled all his friends. He stood up with a wide grin plastered on his face. "Well there's only one way to find out! We're going to help you find your brother and get you home!"

Alphonse looked stunned.

Riku busted out laughing. "Your so quick to jump the gun Sora! Just how are we supposed to get there?"

"We'll find a way somehow. We can send a bottle to the King and ask for his help, or we can find the part to assemble a new gummi ship." He replied with an optimistic grin. "We made it off of Destiny Islands once, we can do it again."

Selphie looked confused. "Gummi ship? I thought you guys said you used a boat to get off the island? And that you got stranded at sea for 2 years!"

Riku awkwardly laughed. "That was sort of a lie. No way our parents would buy the real story."

Kairi stood up next to Sora. "Well if you're for this Sora, then I will help out to. Especially if it means helping out Al!"

"If you guys are going then you are not leaving me behind this time." Selphie jumped to her feet to challenge all three of her friends. "It's not fair how you three get to go on adventures all the time while I'm stuck here!"

"No. Sorry, Selphie. You can't come." Riku said with a frown. "It's way too dangerous to take you with us. You don't have the proper training or power to take on what's out there."

"Oh, but Kairi can handle it?"

Kairi held out her hand in front a Selphie and a flowery Keyblade appeared in front of her. "Well, I can sort of handle myself in a fight now. My days of getting kidnapped are over. I've been working on my magic too."

Sora added. "Besides, who's going to cover for us when our parents start asking questions?"

After hearing every answer why she couldn't tag along, Selphie lowered her head in defeat. "Fine then I won't come! I'm going to head home." She stormed off back to the dock. Before leaving Selphie went back and shook Alphonse's hand. "It was very nice meeting you Al. I will catch you tomorrow?"

Alphonse nodded in agreeance. "You too, see you tomorrow Ms. Selphie!"

"Just Selphie."

"… Selphie."

Riku rose to his feet, he wiped the sand from his baggy jeans and yawned. "I think I'll head back to. It's getting late and I don't feel like hearing my parents whining." The boy followed behind Selphie and joined her on the boat back to the main island.

"Maybe we should head back to." Sora began to make his way towards the boat, but stopped when he noticed Kairi wasn't following behind. "Is something wrong?"

The princess shook her head. "Sora! I'm not just going to ditch Al here by himself!"

Sora scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. "Oh yeah, that's right. Think the mayor will be okay with you not coming back for the evening. I'm sure he is going to ask my parents if I'm at home and you know, out with his granddaughter. He knows we come to the island, he might think that-."

"Oh yeah." Kairi blushed at Sora's words. "Well... I'm sure he'll scold me about it tomorrow morning, but it should be alright. It's not like we're doing anything crazy."

"Yeah…" he trailed off, his face also a bright red. "Well, I think getting in trouble would be worth it. As long as we're together."

Kairi's face was a full flush of red.

Alphonse still sat next to the fire. He had watched the scene play out and had concluded that Sora and Kairi had a close bond with each other. The way their body language was around one another was vastly different from when Riku had been around before. "Are you two dating?" He asked innocently.

"I- Wah!" Kairi shouted, shocked at his sudden question. Quietly, she whispered "Yes."

Sora scratched his cheek. "We've been together for a few months." Sora wasn't used to being put on the spot, but it felt good to have others acknowledge that him and Kairi had some chemistry together. "Bu-but enough of that. I've been dying to know. Tell me all about your world Alphonse. I want to know everything? Like what did you do in Amestris and what about your brother? You made him sound cool."

"Yeah, I'm curious to know to." Kairi asked. "You talked a little about your world earlier."

Alphonse looked to the sky. Amestris was a large place, but if he was going to start anywhere it was going to be at the beginning. It would be about his brother. "Well then, I guess I will start with what we do. Me and my brother are alchemists. I traveled alongside my Nii-sama… and he… well he's a bit famous. He is the Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

This chapter is done. I'm really proud of this one. I always felt like my original introduction to Alphonse and the Keybearers was to underwhelming. I thought this chapter would better be spent expanding on it. Especially Kairi and Al's mysterious connection. On an off note, I've been writing this story at a quicker pace then I anticipated. Chapter 3 only took two writing sessions to complete. I will try to keep updating to around 2 - 3 chapters a week. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it.


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